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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — humankind
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — music
  7. rule — government
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rule — a law
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com